Living in the Past
by SavvyJackie
Summary: Lin encounters a melancholy Asami and a conversation ensues. They discover that they have more in common than they think.


**_This is __something I wrote after watching the Season Finale of the first season of _Legend of Korra_. I just felt there was an injustice to one particular character: Asami. I felt like another character could relate to her, and thus, this story was created. I hope you enjoy. Please review and share your opinions!_**

**_P.S. I usually write in a lot more detail, but this was an experiment with a new sort of writing._**

* * *

Living in the Past

_Summary: Everyone had come to Air Temple Island after the day's events. A lot of talking took place as everyone tried to decide how to restore things back to normal. In the end, Tenzin, Lin and General Iroh decided to gather the people of Republic City at the Pro-Bending Arena and express their goal for fixing the damage that had been done. After the gathering, they headed back to Air Temple Island. Tenzin and Iroh went inside by the front entrance, while Lin told them she'll enter through the back, where she can reach her guest bedroom faster. As she takes her round-trip, she notices a melancholy Asami out on the balcony when she should be resting like everyone else. She approaches and a conversation ensues._

Lin yawned and slightly flexed her arms as she approached the house. She was tired and ready to drop into bed in one of the guest bedrooms Tenzin had offered her to stay at. She had to take care of some things in the morning at Air Temple Island before she could go back home, which made it more convenient to stay overnight.

Apart from business matters, she felt glad to stay at Tenzin's. It could get significantly lonely at her house, her being the only resident. Tenzin was an old friend, and she was glad to have him and his family as company, as well as Korra and her friends. She would never admit this, though. The slightest indication of such emotion would surely have Tenzin thinking she still had feelings for him, and she didn't. Right?

Lin shook her head. What absurd thoughts she was having. That was a long time ago. Tenzin was married. She needed to find someone, too. That was the only reason why she was living in the past. She hadn't found someone for herself.

As she made her way up the steps to the entrance, she noticed someone leaning on the rail of the porch. She squinted to make out who it was, seeing as darkness had set in. She realized it was Asami.

"Shouldn't you be in bed? It's late," Lin said to her.

Startled and obviously unaware that Lin had come back, Asami shifted awkwardly and replied, "I-uh, was just admiring the view."

Lin noticed the falter in Asami's voice and knew something was up. She came to stand beside her and noticed a hint of pain in her bright-green eyes.

"It was a pretty tiring day, you should get some sleep," Lin encouraged.

"I can't sleep." Asami said, turning again to look out over the surroundings of the Island.

"Is something troubling you?" Lin asked.

Asami sighed, lowering her head and closing her eyes. "Yes. But- It's nothing, really."

Not a split second later did Lin realize what was troubling Asami. She recognized the pain in her voice. She knew she was mourning her break-up with that boy, Mako. She shook her head and sighed.

"It's Mako, isn't it? You're upset that he's with Korra."

Amazed that Lin knew what had happened, Asami wondered if she should confess. Realizing it wouldn't do any harm, she decided to explain herself.

"I'm not upset that he's with Korra, I just...never thought I'd lose him so quickly. After I found out my father was a traitor, I thought, 'At least it would work out between us,' but I guess I was wrong."

"I see," Lin nodded. "Believe it or not, I know exactly how you feel."

"You do?" Asami asked, curious.

"Yes," Lin said, looking away. She couldn't believe what she was about to do.

"A long time ago, when we were still young, Tenzin and I used to…'go-out', as you kids say."

She felt uncomfortable. Why was she telling Asami this? Only a moment ago she was scolding herself for thinking of her past feelings for that man.

"Really? I never knew, Lin. What happened?" Genuine interest lit up Asami's face. It was so unexpected to see Lin trying to tell her that she shared deep feelings for a guy once, too.

The earth-bender's brows creased and she lowered her gaze.

"He met- Another girl. They had instant chemistry as friends, but I began to suspect something more. Of course, I didn't say anything. I didn't think it would be fair on my side to accuse him of having feelings for someone else."

"That's how I felt about Mako towards Korra," Asami admitted, recalling the time Bolin told her about the kiss Mako and Korra shared. That's when she had begun to give Mako death-glares and secretly wishing inside that he would tell her about it. He didn't, however. Her coldness towards him didn't make him confess. And that's how she knew it meant something to him.

"After a while," Lin continued, "he became more distant from me as he began spending more time with her. I still didn't say anything until I discovered that she had told him she had feelings for him. He didn't mention anything about it, so I asked. For some reason, he got angry at me for bringing it up, and we had a fight. It had nothing to do with his relationship with the girl, however. We realized we shared some differences on other matters. He called for a separation, but I didn't see it coming. I still cared for him and didn't want us to end the relationship. But I agreed. We remained friends, but it was never the same again after that."

Lin took a deep breath, still mentally punishing herself for bringing up such a personal story. At the same time, she felt like she had gotten some weight off her shoulders. She hadn't talked about this to anyone in a long time.

"Wow, I'm really sorry about that, Lin."Asami said sincerely. "I'm honored that you would share that with me. I guess you know exactly how I feel."

"I do," Lin said, looking at Asami sadly.

"If you don't mind me asking, who was the girl?"

Lin hesitated, very much minding the question.

"It was Pema," she said eventually, hoping desperately that Asami could keep a secret. "I didn't want to tell you at first because I didn't want you to think I don't have the upmost respect for that woman. I have nothing against her at all, and I am happy for Tenzin and his family."

"I understand," Asami said. "I have nothing against Korra, either."

There was a silence between them. The kind where deep thoughts floated through each of their heads and sent waves of emotions into their hearts.

After a while, Asami spoke up again. "How did you get through it?"

Lin was a bit taken aback by this question, but thought about it for a few seconds.

"I just tried to distract myself from what had happened. My responsibility as Chief of the Metal-bending Police Force helped with that. However, there will always be moments when you remember losing the one you loved for someone else." Tears formed in her eyes, but she blinked a few times to prevent them from running down her cheeks. "However, I'm glad we rekindled our friendship."

Asami placed a hand on Lin's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll stay good friends. Tenzin loves you as one." The corners of her lips rose to make a sad, reassuring smile.

Lin smiled back. "I know. And I'm sure you can still be friends with Mako. Don't do what I did, but try to make the best of your relationship with him. If he means that much to you, then I'm sure you'll find a way. You're a smart girl."

"Thank you, Lin," Asami's smile widened. "You're right."

"And you're young. If anything, you'll find someone else, too."

"I hope so," Asami said. Realizing how weary she felt, she began to make her way to the entrance of the house and went inside.

Lin followed. "Well, goodnight, Ms. Sato," she said, turning left to her guest bedroom.

Asami turned in the opposite direction towards her room. "Goodnight, Ms. Bei Fong," she replied, waving her hand in the woman's direction before she turned a corner and disappeared.

As she walked down the hallway, she thought about the boy with the red scarf. How she would never feel safe in his arms again. How they would never kiss. She thought about him when she lay down to sleep, and as she slowly began to drift off into sub-consciousness, a bittersweet pang in her heart reminded her of what they could still be.

_Friends._

* * *

**_Well?_**

**_I hope I accomplished what I wanted to with this. If there's some improvements I need to make, please let me know. I wrote this pretty quickly, just letting out my emotions, and didn't want to go into detail with it._**

**_For me, Asami is such a strong character who has lost so much. A lot of people don't understand how hard it must be for her and how unfair life has been to her. I think she's great and very inspirational. I hope the second season will do her justice._**

**_For some reason, I couldn't ship Makorra after I saw her hurt. I felt she needed closure and for someone to understand her, and Lin is the perfect character because she went through the same thing._**

**_I don't really ship anyone in this show anymore. That's how much the love triangle got to me._**

**_Zutara, however...well, for another time._**

**_Thank you for reading; please review! _**

**_I will be willing to have some debates as well (about who should be with who and whatnot). _**

**_Also...does anyone notice anything symbolic about the "Ms. Sato" and "Ms. Bei Fong" thing? Congratulate you if you do!_**


End file.
